Golf practice apparatus



D. A. POTTER Nov. 14, 1967 GOLF PRACTICE APPARATUS Filed Feb. 23, 1965 IIIII 'lll United States Patent 3,352,560 GOLF PRACTICE APPARATUS DentonA. Potter, 1741 Granville Ave., West Los Angeles, Calif. 90025 FiledFeb. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 434,488 Claims. (Cl. 273-200) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A golf practice unit, which includes a tethered golf ball.The unit is constructed so that it may readily be inserted into the turfand removed, and yet there is no tendency for the casing of the unit topull out of the ground when the ball is driven. Also the unit isrelatively light, and readily portable.

The present invention relates to an improved golf practicing unit, andit relates more particularly to an improved golf practicing unit whichincludes a tethered golf ball so as to permit golf swings to bepracticed within a limited space.

Many golf practice devices have been developed in the prior art in orderto enable the golfer to practice and perfect his golf swing.

One general type of the prior art golf practice device includes asimulated golf ball which is maintained on a pivoted, or flexible,vertical or horizontal arm. Such prior art golf practice devices,however, usually suffer from the disadvantage in that they do notprovide the golfer with a sense of having actually hit a golf ball, andthe golfer soon tires of using such devices.

In addition, the prior art devices of the above-mentioned general typeusually require some sort of indicating means to designate whether theball has been hit properly; or whether a hook or slice has been struck.

A second general type of golf practice device, and the type with whichthe improved unit of the present invention is concerned, includes atethered golf ball. This type of device permits the golfer actually tostrike a golf ball and to determine whether he has properly hit theball, all within a limited space.

However, the usual prior art tethered golf ball practice devices of thelatter general type, for the most part, have not functioned to returnthe ball to the golfer, so that time is wasted between practice swings.Moreover, great difiiculty has been encountered in the prior art devicesin providing adequate securing means for holding such devices in theground.

This has meant that the prior art devices have been made either so heavythat they cannot be conveniently carried from place to place; or elsesome means must be provided permanently to install the devices in theground. This, however, creates inconveniences, since often the golferdesires to carry the pactice equipment to a particular locality, such ashis back yard, or neighboring park or field; and he also wishes toreturn the equipment to his home when he has completed his practice.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved golfpractice unit of the tethered golf ball type, which is light and easilyportable.

Another object is to provide such an improved golf practice unit whichis constructed so that it can be securely anchored on the ground toprovide a stable and sturdy support for the tethered golf ball, and yetso that it can be easily removed from the ground, when so desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an improved golfpractice unit which is strong and sturdy, yet simple and inexpensive inits construction, so that it can be sold at a relatively low price.

A still further object of the invention is to provide such an improvedgolf practice unit which serves to return the ball to the practicinggolfer, so that time is not wasted between practice swings, in order toretrieve the ball.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent froma consideration of the following specification, when the specificationis taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective representation of a golf swing practice unitconstructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the unit of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the unit of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a schematic view of the unit, showing the unit in place on apractice field.

The golf practicing unit of the present invention includes a casing 10which, in the illustrated embodiment, has an essentially rectangularconfiguration. The central portion of the casing 10 is elevated, so thatthe casing actually has a shape approaching a truncated solid triangle.

As shown in FIGURES l3, the casing 10 has a forward portion 12, acentral portion 14 and a rear portion 16. The central portion 14 has arectangular aperture 18 formed therein, which extends into the rear andforward portions. The rear portion 16 and forward portion 12 each has aslanting configuration, as best shown in FIGURE 3; so that the casingessentially has the shape of a solid truncated triangle.

The casing 10 may be formed of sheet metal, or of an appropriateplastic, or of any other suitable material. A rectangular member 20 iswelded, or otherwise aflixed, to the underside of the portion 16. Themember 20 is formed of relatively heavy material, so as to constitute aweight.

The forward portion 12 of the casing 10 has a rim 22 extendingtransversely across it, and a pair of spikes 24 extend through the rim.The spikes 24 may be afiixed to the rim 22 by welding, for example, orby any other appropriate securing means.

A pair of coil springs 26 and 28 are attached to the underside of thecentral portion 14 of the casing 10 by means, for example, of bolts 30and 32 respectively. These springs extend transversely across thecentral aperture 18, and their inner ends are coupled together by a ringmember 34, so that the springs are held under tension.

The golf ball 36 is tethered to the ring 34 by means of a line 38. Theline 38 is coupled to the ring 34 by a swivel-type coupler 40. Thecoupler 40 includes a swivelly mounted portion which receives the line38, so as to prevent the line 38 from becoming twisted.

As shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, for example, the golf ball 36 is teed up adistance behind the unit, as prescribed M by the length of the line 38.When the ball is struck, it

describes an arc, and draws the line 38 up over the unit.

When the ball reaches the end of the line, there is a tendency for therear end portion 16 to be lifted up from the ground, with a resultingaction that the spikes 24 are driven even further into the ground, dueto the configuration of the unit.

It has been found that the illustrated construction of the unit of theinvention provides a stable assembly which has no tendency whatever tobe pulled out of the ground during the flight of the struck golf ball.

When desired, the unit can be simply removed from the ground, merely bywithdrawing it back in the direction of the spikes 24.

The action of the coupler 40 prevents the line 38 from becoming twisted,and the springs 26 and 28 serve to return the ball to the vicinity ofthe practicing golfer, after it has been struck.

the improved golf 9 a The invention provides, therefore,.an improvedgolf swing practice unit which is sturdy and reliable in its operation,and yet which is light and portable. Moreover,

practice unit of the invention, as eX- plained above, can bemanufactured at a relatively low cost and sold at a relatively lowprice.

It will be observed that the unit of the invention is constructed sothat all springs, couplers and mounts are positioned below the topsurface of the housing, so that there are no projections above thehousing. This obviates any tendency for the line to become tangled whenthe unit is in use.

Also, the swivel coupler 40 is preferably coupled to the ring 34 at theright hand side in FIGURE 1, as shown. This also has been found tominimize any tendency for the swivel and line to become jammed ortangled in the springs or other components of the unit. a

In a constructed embodiment of the invention, the line has a length of18 feet. This permits the unit to be used conveniently, for example, ina 40 foot space.

While'a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed, modifications may be made; and it is intended in the claimsto cover all such central portion of sheet material with an openingtherein, said casing further having essentially flat rear and forwardend portions of sheet material sloping down from said central portion ina mutually opposed inclined with respect to the plane of said centralportion, and said casing further having a transverse rim at the forwardend.

a pair of anchoring spikes 1 therethrough substantialforward end portionto of said forward end portion; aflixed to said rim and extending lyparallel to the plane of said anchor said casing on the ground",resilient means aflixed to the central portion of said casingand'extending transa versely across said opening; a golf ball; and aline tethering said golf ball to an intermediate point on said resilientmeans.

modifications which fall within the scope of the invention.

relation 7 2. The unit defined in claim pling the inner ends of saidsprings, and fastener means for securing one end of said line to saidannular member.

5. The unit defined in claim 4 in which said fastener] means is in theform of a swivel-type coupler.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1908' Sprague.; 273-400 X4/1926 Fisk 273 -200 I FOREIGN PATENTS 444,646 3/1936' Great Britain. 7

ANTON o. QECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

G. T. MARLO, Assistant Examiner.

1 and which includes a weight member aflixed to the underside of saidrear end 1 in which said sheet ma- 7

1. A GOLF SWING PRACTICE UNIT CONSTRUCTED TO BE ANCHORED ON THE GROUNDAND INCLUDING: A CASING HAVING A RECTANGULAR SHAPE IN PLAN AND HAVING ARAISED ESSENTIALLY FLAT HORIZONTAL CENTRAL PORTION OF SHEET MATERIALWITH AN OPENING THEREIN, SAID CASING FURTHER HAVING ESSENTIALLY FLATREAR AND FORWARD END PORTIONS OF SHEET MATERIAL SLOPING DOWN FROM SAIDCENTRAL PORTION IN A MUTUALLY OPPOSED INCLINED RELATION WITH RESPECT TOTHE PLANE OF SAID CENTRAL PORTION, AND SAID CASING FURTHER HAVING ATRANSVERSE RIM AT THE FORWARD END OF SAID FORWARD END PORTION; A PAIR OFANCHORING SPIKES AFFIXED TO SAID RIM AND EXTENDING THERETHROUGHSUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF SAID FORWARD END PORTION TOANCHOR SAID CASING ON THE GROUND; RESILIENT MEANS AFFIXED TO THE CENTRALPORTION OF SAID CASING AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS SAID OPENING; AGOLF BALL; AND A LINE TETHERING SAID GOLF BALL TO AN INTERMEDIATE POINTON SAID RESILIENT MEANS.